Hello everyone,
First of all, happy New Year to everyone in the forum. It’s really great how you can get familiar with the topic of house building as a layperson and gain some knowledge.
In spring 2016, our major construction project is scheduled, and after initial discussions with various providers, a (nearly) final design for our two-story urban villa has slowly taken shape. The window arrangement is still the least developed part at the moment, but I think that should be a minor issue. We are more interested in your opinions on the room layout and the arrangement of the rooms.
The plan was created by me, so please forgive any design shortcomings 🙂.
Exterior dimensions: 10 x 11 meters (33 x 36 feet)
We look forward to your feedback.
Thanks and best regards,
Alex
First of all, happy New Year to everyone in the forum. It’s really great how you can get familiar with the topic of house building as a layperson and gain some knowledge.
In spring 2016, our major construction project is scheduled, and after initial discussions with various providers, a (nearly) final design for our two-story urban villa has slowly taken shape. The window arrangement is still the least developed part at the moment, but I think that should be a minor issue. We are more interested in your opinions on the room layout and the arrangement of the rooms.
The plan was created by me, so please forgive any design shortcomings 🙂.
Exterior dimensions: 10 x 11 meters (33 x 36 feet)
We look forward to your feedback.
Thanks and best regards,
Alex
Hello,
Nice approach.
What I find interesting is the separation between the living room and dining room, and the huge windows in the dining area. Very attractive.
Here are my suggestions and questions:
1. In the living room – is that a fireplace or a TV? Definitely paint the chimney! It takes up at least 40x40cm (16x16 inches) and, of course, extends all the way up. A chimney must protrude above the roof ridge. That’s why it’s usually placed as close to the center of the house as possible. Otherwise, you end up with a skinny chimney at the roof edge – which looks odd, especially with a hip roof.
2. The staircase has already been mentioned. For us, a step height of 18.5cm (7.3 inches) was the maximum.
3. I find a bathroom with two doors annoying as well. Make sure the windows illuminate the room properly. Windows behind walls don’t add much light. Windows directly in the shower lead to lots of cleaning and lime scale buildup, which damages them quickly.
4. Pay attention to the exterior views when placing windows. Randomly scattered windows don’t look good. Windows below the washbasin leave no space for a mirror, so better place them above the toilet with frosted glass.
5. Is a balcony planned for the bedroom? Or just a French balcony? Possibly for the children?
6. Without a basement, make sure to allocate space for the utility room installations. Electrical panel on the wall, heating system, possibly a hot water tank, tankless water heater, water meter, etc. This space gets cramped very quickly, and there’s no room left for a pantry.
Enjoy working on it further! 🙂
Nice approach.
What I find interesting is the separation between the living room and dining room, and the huge windows in the dining area. Very attractive.
Here are my suggestions and questions:
1. In the living room – is that a fireplace or a TV? Definitely paint the chimney! It takes up at least 40x40cm (16x16 inches) and, of course, extends all the way up. A chimney must protrude above the roof ridge. That’s why it’s usually placed as close to the center of the house as possible. Otherwise, you end up with a skinny chimney at the roof edge – which looks odd, especially with a hip roof.
2. The staircase has already been mentioned. For us, a step height of 18.5cm (7.3 inches) was the maximum.
3. I find a bathroom with two doors annoying as well. Make sure the windows illuminate the room properly. Windows behind walls don’t add much light. Windows directly in the shower lead to lots of cleaning and lime scale buildup, which damages them quickly.
4. Pay attention to the exterior views when placing windows. Randomly scattered windows don’t look good. Windows below the washbasin leave no space for a mirror, so better place them above the toilet with frosted glass.
5. Is a balcony planned for the bedroom? Or just a French balcony? Possibly for the children?
6. Without a basement, make sure to allocate space for the utility room installations. Electrical panel on the wall, heating system, possibly a hot water tank, tankless water heater, water meter, etc. This space gets cramped very quickly, and there’s no room left for a pantry.
Enjoy working on it further! 🙂
Hi,
first of all, thanks for the initial hints and the constructive feedback, which I am already trying to implement in parts.
This partition wall between the living and dining rooms is intended to be a wall with an integrated three-sided glass fireplace. Exactly how it will look in the end, we will only be able to specify more precisely after visits to fireplace showrooms. We are generally still a bit unsure when it comes to the fireplace. Since we are building without a basement, we were advised (when planning the fireplace not at an exterior wall) that the cleaning access for the chimney sweep would then be located in the living room, which is usually associated with a lot of dirt. Hence the tip to position the fireplace against an exterior wall. What I don’t yet know today is whether, in the intended construction, cleaning from the outside is even technically possible. I will need to consult the experts on this as well. Of course, I am grateful for any tips on this matter. The fact that it might not look great on the roof may be true, but something is always going to be a compromise.
If I make the staircase longer, does the wall to which it is mounted have to be extended exactly to 4.20m (13 feet 9 inches)? Or can one count one step less at 20cm (8 inches) because of the ceiling? I hope I have explained myself clearly enough.
Good advice. Then I will have to swap the toilet and the sink since the garage runs along the side where the toilet is currently planned. So no window there.
No balcony is planned. Only the French balcony variant.
first of all, thanks for the initial hints and the constructive feedback, which I am already trying to implement in parts.
kaho674 schrieb:
1. In the living room – is that a fireplace or a TV? Definitely paint the chimney! It takes up at least 40x40cm (16x16 inches) all the way up, of course. A chimney must extend above the roof ridge. That’s why it is usually placed near the center of the house. Otherwise, you end up with a chimney looking like a stalk on the roof edge – especially with a hip roof, that looks awkward.
This partition wall between the living and dining rooms is intended to be a wall with an integrated three-sided glass fireplace. Exactly how it will look in the end, we will only be able to specify more precisely after visits to fireplace showrooms. We are generally still a bit unsure when it comes to the fireplace. Since we are building without a basement, we were advised (when planning the fireplace not at an exterior wall) that the cleaning access for the chimney sweep would then be located in the living room, which is usually associated with a lot of dirt. Hence the tip to position the fireplace against an exterior wall. What I don’t yet know today is whether, in the intended construction, cleaning from the outside is even technically possible. I will need to consult the experts on this as well. Of course, I am grateful for any tips on this matter. The fact that it might not look great on the roof may be true, but something is always going to be a compromise.
kaho674 schrieb:
The staircase was already mentioned. We found 18.5cm (7.3 inches) riser height to be the limit.
If I make the staircase longer, does the wall to which it is mounted have to be extended exactly to 4.20m (13 feet 9 inches)? Or can one count one step less at 20cm (8 inches) because of the ceiling? I hope I have explained myself clearly enough.
kaho674 schrieb:
Pay attention to the exterior views with the windows. Scattered randomly does not look good. Window above the sink at the bottom – then a mirror is missing. Better above the toilet with frosted glass.
Good advice. Then I will have to swap the toilet and the sink since the garage runs along the side where the toilet is currently planned. So no window there.
kaho674 schrieb:
Is a balcony planned for the bedroom? Or just a French balcony? Maybe for the kids?
No balcony is planned. Only the French balcony variant.
Neppi schrieb:
It might not look great on the roof, but something is always off anyway 😉 Oh, I would be careful with that. Imagine the flashing in the view. Now picture seeing the flashing every day, but only seeing the dirt in the living room once a year. So my choice would be clear. Especially since the area around the chimney is usually tiled. One quick wipe and it’s done.
Neppi schrieb:
If I make the staircase longer, does the wall it’s mounted on have to be exactly extended to 4.20 meters (13 feet 9 inches)? Or can you subtract one step, about 20cm (8 inches), because of the ceiling? I hope I explained myself clearly enough. Yes, I think that should work. Just search for “stair basics” on Google. You’ll find a stair calculator there. I believe the “exit step” refers to the topmost step.
Similar topics