Hello everyone,
I recently joined the forum because we plan to build within the next 2 years and want to optimize our floor plan before moving into detailed planning.
Since my husband is a winemaker, we are allowed to build on our outdoor shed in the external area. Therefore, there is no zoning plan or additional restrictions.
Zoning plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 5000m² (1.24 acres)
Slight slope descending to the east (see photo)
Outdoor shed is located north of the house (40 meters (130 feet) away)
Number of parking spaces at and inside the shed
Number of floors: 2 full stories
Roof style: no specifications
Architectural style: no specifications
Orientation: south, driveway from the north
Maximum height / limits: none
Other requirements: none
Client Requirements
Solid construction (masonry, concrete etc.)
Style: modern
Roof type: gable roof
Basement: yes
Stories: 2
Number of occupants: 2 adults, 2 children planned
Age: both 29
Room requirements on the ground floor: office (later bedroom), kitchen, living and dining room, WC with shower, small storage room. The ground floor should later be separable and barrier-free.
Upper floor: family bathroom, master bedroom, 2 children’s rooms
Office: home office (teacher and winemaker)
Guest sleepers per year: 8 (in the hobby room in the basement)
Closed architecture
Closed kitchen with pass-through window
Number of dining seats: 6, extendable to 12 (for gatherings)
Fireplace: yes
Balcony: possibly
Additional wishes / special features:
The basement may later be used as a retirement apartment (green area) and is level with the ground on the east side. The ground and upper floors should be separable later. A terrace is planned on the southwest side.
House Design
Who designed the plan: DIY
What do you particularly like? Why?
We want bright rooms but have also paid attention to having enough storage space.
What do you dislike? Why?
We need quite a bit of space on the ground floor, so the rooms upstairs are too large.
Cost estimate according to architect/planner:
None yet, depends heavily on soil survey.
Preferred heating system: pellets, wood, or gas (we do not want mechanical ventilation or underfloor heating).
If you had to give up any features/extensions
- Could give up: walk-in closet
- Cannot give up: office on the ground floor
Why is the design as it is now? For example:
We wanted the kitchen facing east/north to keep an eye on the driveway. The living and dining room faces south with views of the vineyards, the office faces west because I often sit there in the evenings, and there is also a shower on the ground floor for later use.
What is the most important / fundamental question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
How can we optimize the floor plan? Have we forgotten anything important? Where could we save square meters?
I recently joined the forum because we plan to build within the next 2 years and want to optimize our floor plan before moving into detailed planning.
Since my husband is a winemaker, we are allowed to build on our outdoor shed in the external area. Therefore, there is no zoning plan or additional restrictions.
Zoning plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 5000m² (1.24 acres)
Slight slope descending to the east (see photo)
Outdoor shed is located north of the house (40 meters (130 feet) away)
Number of parking spaces at and inside the shed
Number of floors: 2 full stories
Roof style: no specifications
Architectural style: no specifications
Orientation: south, driveway from the north
Maximum height / limits: none
Other requirements: none
Client Requirements
Solid construction (masonry, concrete etc.)
Style: modern
Roof type: gable roof
Basement: yes
Stories: 2
Number of occupants: 2 adults, 2 children planned
Age: both 29
Room requirements on the ground floor: office (later bedroom), kitchen, living and dining room, WC with shower, small storage room. The ground floor should later be separable and barrier-free.
Upper floor: family bathroom, master bedroom, 2 children’s rooms
Office: home office (teacher and winemaker)
Guest sleepers per year: 8 (in the hobby room in the basement)
Closed architecture
Closed kitchen with pass-through window
Number of dining seats: 6, extendable to 12 (for gatherings)
Fireplace: yes
Balcony: possibly
Additional wishes / special features:
The basement may later be used as a retirement apartment (green area) and is level with the ground on the east side. The ground and upper floors should be separable later. A terrace is planned on the southwest side.
House Design
Who designed the plan: DIY
What do you particularly like? Why?
We want bright rooms but have also paid attention to having enough storage space.
What do you dislike? Why?
We need quite a bit of space on the ground floor, so the rooms upstairs are too large.
Cost estimate according to architect/planner:
None yet, depends heavily on soil survey.
Preferred heating system: pellets, wood, or gas (we do not want mechanical ventilation or underfloor heating).
If you had to give up any features/extensions
- Could give up: walk-in closet
- Cannot give up: office on the ground floor
Why is the design as it is now? For example:
We wanted the kitchen facing east/north to keep an eye on the driveway. The living and dining room faces south with views of the vineyards, the office faces west because I often sit there in the evenings, and there is also a shower on the ground floor for later use.
What is the most important / fundamental question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
How can we optimize the floor plan? Have we forgotten anything important? Where could we save square meters?
Should the basement or the ground floor be wheelchair accessible?
Where is the entrance?
Does the ground floor have direct access to the garden or only a balcony?
Some rooms won’t work like this. Your walls are too thin. A bedroom facing south might have a nice view, which isn’t much use when your eyes are closed, but it will get very warm. I would prefer to plan a children’s room there.
Where is the entrance?
Does the ground floor have direct access to the garden or only a balcony?
Some rooms won’t work like this. Your walls are too thin. A bedroom facing south might have a nice view, which isn’t much use when your eyes are closed, but it will get very warm. I would prefer to plan a children’s room there.
Thank you for the suggestions! Both should be wheelchair accessible:
- the basement from the east
- the ground floor from the west, partially north, partially south
Since the plot is on a slope, we would terrace it or build retaining walls with fieldstones so that the front door is at ground level right next to the stairs. The windows that you look out from the sofa should also be at ground level, allowing direct access to the garden. The interior dimensions of the house would be 11 x 9 m (36 x 30 feet). I need to draw the interior walls thicker. I’ll move the bedroom for now...
- the basement from the east
- the ground floor from the west, partially north, partially south
Since the plot is on a slope, we would terrace it or build retaining walls with fieldstones so that the front door is at ground level right next to the stairs. The windows that you look out from the sofa should also be at ground level, allowing direct access to the garden. The interior dimensions of the house would be 11 x 9 m (36 x 30 feet). I need to draw the interior walls thicker. I’ll move the bedroom for now...
Try searching for “zero barrier” accessibility. The floor plans are not wheelchair-friendly. I assume you want to plan for it in case one of you needs a walker or even a wheelchair and a home care service comes to assist.
It sounds like there will be a lot of filling, excavation, and retaining walls involved. That will cost quite a bit of money.
Do you really need the hobby room, for example? By arranging the rooms thoughtfully, you might be able to reduce earthworks, slope stabilization, and so on.
Mentally replace “basement” with “lower ground floor.”
Don’t plan for too many contingencies. The missing bedroom on the ground floor in scenario X could be created by partitioning the living room.
Maybe in 50 years you will be living in the house as just two again. You should also be able to add an extension. Boundary setbacks shouldn’t be a problem for you.
About the floor plan:
Ground floor entrance
The staircase is right inside the door. Very cramped. No cloakroom. Four people need space for shoes, jackets, stroller, etc.
I would separate the entrance’s dirty zone from the staircase. Are you really going to walk through the entryway only in slippers or socks?
The pantry is too narrow. The freezer door won’t open.
The bathroom can’t fit a shower and isn’t accessible.
Upper floor
The bathroom layout could be improved. A bathtub in the middle of the room and the heavily used toilet moved to the farthest corner.
Plan the children’s room doors so that a wardrobe fits behind them.
What do you think about having a laundry room on the upper floor? Washing clothes where they are used.
Some doors are too narrow, probably around 75 or 80cm (30 or 32 inches).
It sounds like there will be a lot of filling, excavation, and retaining walls involved. That will cost quite a bit of money.
Do you really need the hobby room, for example? By arranging the rooms thoughtfully, you might be able to reduce earthworks, slope stabilization, and so on.
Mentally replace “basement” with “lower ground floor.”
Don’t plan for too many contingencies. The missing bedroom on the ground floor in scenario X could be created by partitioning the living room.
Maybe in 50 years you will be living in the house as just two again. You should also be able to add an extension. Boundary setbacks shouldn’t be a problem for you.
About the floor plan:
Ground floor entrance
The staircase is right inside the door. Very cramped. No cloakroom. Four people need space for shoes, jackets, stroller, etc.
I would separate the entrance’s dirty zone from the staircase. Are you really going to walk through the entryway only in slippers or socks?
The pantry is too narrow. The freezer door won’t open.
The bathroom can’t fit a shower and isn’t accessible.
Upper floor
The bathroom layout could be improved. A bathtub in the middle of the room and the heavily used toilet moved to the farthest corner.
Plan the children’s room doors so that a wardrobe fits behind them.
What do you think about having a laundry room on the upper floor? Washing clothes where they are used.
Some doors are too narrow, probably around 75 or 80cm (30 or 32 inches).
Jonica schrieb:
The interior dimensions of the house would be 11x9 m (36x30 feet). As a general rule, I would add 1.20 m (4 feet) to the edge lengths to roughly account for the wall thicknesses.
Jonica schrieb:
I need to draw the interior walls thicker. And also add plaster and tolerances, as well as the fact that people don’t move with millimeter precision. For that, add about 10 cm (4 inches) more to each room’s width overall.
Jonica schrieb:
Both should be barrier-free: That means more than just level access. For users with walkers, you should plan for wider doors, and for wheelchair users, you also need turning circles...
Please represent the slope with numbers, ideally with specific height measurements within the building plot.
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