After my design passed the most important hurdle (my wife) and, following discussions with builders and architects, I believe it can be realized within our budget, I would now like to hear a few more opinions.
Attached you will find my designs (SweetHome 3D). I hope the important details are visible. I have also tried to answer most questions. I look forward to your feedback and hope I won’t have to start from scratch again.
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: 717m² (7,715 sq ft)
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio: 0.2
Floor area ratio: -
Number of parking spaces: -
Number of storeys: 2
Roof type: -
Maximum height/limits: 8m (26 ft)
Client requirements
We initially approached the project without deciding on a style, roof type, etc. Over time, however, more and more factors led us to choose a flat roof.
Since we want two full storeys and the development plan allows a maximum ridge height of 8m (26 ft), there was no room above the two full storeys for a reasonably usable attic – so the basement was fixed. However, we didn’t want the basement to be completely underground. After basement and two storeys, we ended up at 7.1m (23 ft) height, which basically left us with only a shed roof or flat roof options.
The somewhat elongated floor plan is due to the relatively large setback area facing south. Our future neighbors’ house is only about 50cm (20 inches) from the boundary (an older building from former East Germany). Due to fire safety regulations, I must maintain at least a 5m (16 ft) distance (4.5m (15 ft) of which must be on our property) from their house. Eventually, I decided to add an extra two meters so this area could be better utilized later (now 6.7m (22 ft) to the boundary).
Number of occupants, ages: 2 adults (33, 38), 1 child (2 years), + 1 child (approx. -1 year)
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor: Currently 174m² (1,873 sq ft) ground floor + upper floor, 93m² (1,001 sq ft) basement
Office: Home office
Guest sleepers per year: Well, the grandparents come regularly; how many friends will visit after moving from Berlin to Potsdam remains to be seen.
Open kitchen, kitchen island: We don’t want a completely open kitchen but want a good “connection” between dining area and kitchen. Initially, this resulted in a 175cm (69 inches) wide sliding door running into the wall, but because of the quoted price of over $3,500, it had to be replaced by a simple opening for now.
Number of dining seats: Usually 3–4, but must definitely be extendable
Fireplace: Yes (“bottom right”)
Music/Stereo wall: There definitely won’t be a stereo wall. In our current rental apartment, everything runs through a SONOS system, and we eventually removed the TV. Here, I am considering mounting a projector on the ceiling with a retractable screen.
Balcony, roof terrace: Roof terrace facing southwest. Another idea I’m not sure how we will use later.
Garage, carport: Garage with one parking space + shed
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: ??
Additional wishes/special features/daily routines: The house should have home automation installed. Currently planned is a mix of Loxone and KNX, including 1-Wire, DMX, etc.
House design
Planning by:
- Do-it-yourself
What do you particularly like?
What don’t you like? – that the balcony is so large (long), making the master bedroom and dressing room somewhat small
Price estimate according to architect/planner: approx. $350,000 + painting + flooring for about 100m² (1,076 sq ft) + additional costs + exterior works + electrical installation
Personal budget limit for the house, including fixtures: $480,000
Preferred heating technology: Ideally geothermal, but because it is a groundwater protection zone 3 and only 950m (3,117 ft) away from the well, only horizontal systems are permitted. Therefore, I am leaning toward gas.
Attached you will find my designs (SweetHome 3D). I hope the important details are visible. I have also tried to answer most questions. I look forward to your feedback and hope I won’t have to start from scratch again.
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: 717m² (7,715 sq ft)
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio: 0.2
Floor area ratio: -
Number of parking spaces: -
Number of storeys: 2
Roof type: -
Maximum height/limits: 8m (26 ft)
Client requirements
We initially approached the project without deciding on a style, roof type, etc. Over time, however, more and more factors led us to choose a flat roof.
Since we want two full storeys and the development plan allows a maximum ridge height of 8m (26 ft), there was no room above the two full storeys for a reasonably usable attic – so the basement was fixed. However, we didn’t want the basement to be completely underground. After basement and two storeys, we ended up at 7.1m (23 ft) height, which basically left us with only a shed roof or flat roof options.
The somewhat elongated floor plan is due to the relatively large setback area facing south. Our future neighbors’ house is only about 50cm (20 inches) from the boundary (an older building from former East Germany). Due to fire safety regulations, I must maintain at least a 5m (16 ft) distance (4.5m (15 ft) of which must be on our property) from their house. Eventually, I decided to add an extra two meters so this area could be better utilized later (now 6.7m (22 ft) to the boundary).
Number of occupants, ages: 2 adults (33, 38), 1 child (2 years), + 1 child (approx. -1 year)
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor: Currently 174m² (1,873 sq ft) ground floor + upper floor, 93m² (1,001 sq ft) basement
Office: Home office
Guest sleepers per year: Well, the grandparents come regularly; how many friends will visit after moving from Berlin to Potsdam remains to be seen.
Open kitchen, kitchen island: We don’t want a completely open kitchen but want a good “connection” between dining area and kitchen. Initially, this resulted in a 175cm (69 inches) wide sliding door running into the wall, but because of the quoted price of over $3,500, it had to be replaced by a simple opening for now.
Number of dining seats: Usually 3–4, but must definitely be extendable
Fireplace: Yes (“bottom right”)
Music/Stereo wall: There definitely won’t be a stereo wall. In our current rental apartment, everything runs through a SONOS system, and we eventually removed the TV. Here, I am considering mounting a projector on the ceiling with a retractable screen.
Balcony, roof terrace: Roof terrace facing southwest. Another idea I’m not sure how we will use later.
Garage, carport: Garage with one parking space + shed
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: ??
Additional wishes/special features/daily routines: The house should have home automation installed. Currently planned is a mix of Loxone and KNX, including 1-Wire, DMX, etc.
House design
Planning by:
- Do-it-yourself
What do you particularly like?
What don’t you like? – that the balcony is so large (long), making the master bedroom and dressing room somewhat small
Price estimate according to architect/planner: approx. $350,000 + painting + flooring for about 100m² (1,076 sq ft) + additional costs + exterior works + electrical installation
Personal budget limit for the house, including fixtures: $480,000
Preferred heating technology: Ideally geothermal, but because it is a groundwater protection zone 3 and only 950m (3,117 ft) away from the well, only horizontal systems are permitted. Therefore, I am leaning toward gas.
B
Budking8211 Sep 2015 00:36So, now that we (or rather the general contractor) are preparing the documents for the building permit / planning permission, I would like to revisit the topic and hear your opinions on our floor plan.
There have been several changes:
Further notes:
These are my (background) thoughts on the floor plan. What do you think?
There have been several changes:
- the dimensions changed from 7.75x15.5m to 9x13m (26x51 feet to 30x43 feet)
- the master bedroom has moved to the ground floor – this way everyone gets morning sun and we have direct access to the outdoors
- in connection with this, the guest bathroom was divided – the shower was assigned to the master bedroom, leaving only the toilet in the “public area” for guests
- the small walk-in dressing room was removed and replaced with a standard wardrobe wall
- the guest room moved to the upper floor. I am considering whether to make the balcony accessible only from the guest room. This would allow the balcony to be smaller and the bathroom larger. The guest room should also serve as a retreat, but not as an office
- by separating the master and children’s bedrooms, both bathrooms can be used in my view. If guests are present, there is no reason they couldn’t use the children’s bathroom as well. This way, there is not a shower kept “in reserve” that might only be used every few weeks while the rest of the time everything gets crowded in the upper bathroom
- additionally, small storage rooms have been planned on both the upper and ground floors. On the upper floor, these could be used to store items from the balcony such as cushions, a crate of beer (possibly a mini-fridge), etc.
Further notes:
- The balcony remains. I am confident we will use it – not just to go upstairs and enjoy the view after dinner, but earlier to eat there and have some peace and quiet
- I will still adjust the “raising” slightly; it will not be on ground level. There are two reasons for this. The main reason is not the basement windows but rather the neighboring building, which is situated about 1.5m (5 feet) higher
- The main entrance has moved to the front of the house. Now I have a few meters of space in front to allow for a more discreet “approach.” This is not yet shown in the pictures
- What I cannot assess is the technical feasibility. For one thing, there are now four wastewater connections in the house, and on the other hand, there are not many load-bearing walls stacked vertically anymore
- The kitchen furnishings have yet to be decided
These are my (background) thoughts on the floor plan. What do you think?
Hmm... now the kitchen is as far away from the terrace as possible. Everything you might need for a cozy summer (barbecue) evening has to be carried through the dining and living rooms first.
For me, that would already be a deal-breaker.
Then there is the bathroom above the dining room... plumbing?
Is there supposed to be no toilet in the master bathroom? That would be very impractical.
What I do like is that the dining room is no longer located along that dark east-facing wall.
For children's rooms, I always prefer a south or west orientation, as children of school age then get the most sunlight in their room.
For me, that would already be a deal-breaker.
Then there is the bathroom above the dining room... plumbing?
Is there supposed to be no toilet in the master bathroom? That would be very impractical.
What I do like is that the dining room is no longer located along that dark east-facing wall.
For children's rooms, I always prefer a south or west orientation, as children of school age then get the most sunlight in their room.
I held back somewhat on the "internal" layout in the last plan because I didn't think it was very good.
I hoped something else might come up.
Regarding the new plan:
The ground floor looks like various modular room shapes have been lined up, and the gaps are then renamed as corridors.
I don’t find the upper floor that bad, although I still question the usefulness of the balcony...
Yes, the kitchen is not where you need it; somehow the whole thing has become a rectangle—and the 3D effect turns the aimless drawing into a success story: you imagine a sleek, modern flat-roof house and don’t see the huge difference between playing around with a program and actual house design.
If a house has to stand between taller buildings, there are other methods than raising the basement so that you cannot access the property without stepping up.
9 by 13 meters (approximately 30 by 43 feet) is also quite generously sized; considering the square meters (since there is also a basement), it could be smaller without feeling cramped.
Spend the money saved and get a professional involved!
Regards, Yvonne
I hoped something else might come up.
Regarding the new plan:
The ground floor looks like various modular room shapes have been lined up, and the gaps are then renamed as corridors.
I don’t find the upper floor that bad, although I still question the usefulness of the balcony...
Budking82 schrieb:I doubt it: who would carry their food upstairs through several doors when they could just stay on their own floor?
rather beforehand, to eat there and have some peace.
Yes, the kitchen is not where you need it; somehow the whole thing has become a rectangle—and the 3D effect turns the aimless drawing into a success story: you imagine a sleek, modern flat-roof house and don’t see the huge difference between playing around with a program and actual house design.
If a house has to stand between taller buildings, there are other methods than raising the basement so that you cannot access the property without stepping up.
9 by 13 meters (approximately 30 by 43 feet) is also quite generously sized; considering the square meters (since there is also a basement), it could be smaller without feeling cramped.
Spend the money saved and get a professional involved!
Regards, Yvonne
B
Budking8214 Sep 2015 14:00OK, somehow insisting on the balcony and raising the house level caused the design to get worse with each revision.
After some discussions, we have now decided to do without the balcony and the raised house. This has made several things significantly easier. We are now at a footprint of 8 x 13.5 meters (26 x 44 feet) but have gained considerably more living space compared to the previous plans. The children’s rooms face south, and the kitchen is close to the terrace. A light well is now planned in front of the basement office. The storage room may still need some improvement.
After some discussions, we have now decided to do without the balcony and the raised house. This has made several things significantly easier. We are now at a footprint of 8 x 13.5 meters (26 x 44 feet) but have gained considerably more living space compared to the previous plans. The children’s rooms face south, and the kitchen is close to the terrace. A light well is now planned in front of the basement office. The storage room may still need some improvement.
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