2 bungalows on 3000 sqm - multi-generation project

Hello everyone,

first, a brief introduction about me. Andy, 35, married and building a house for the first time. I am an employee, my wife is self-employed, and we are planning to develop a large plot together with my parents-in-law. The plot has already been purchased and paid for from equity. For the construction of the houses, around €1.2 million is available, of which about €600k come from selling existing properties (my parents-in-law's single-family house, our condominium) and a financing commitment of up to €600k.

We are currently in the planning phase for a multi-generational project, mainly focusing on our house (“House 1”). The parents-in-law have already finished planning their bungalow (basically the modified ground floor layout of the current house). The design comes from me, was processed by the general contractor, and is also with the architect again for revision. I would be very happy if you had a few tips, feedback, and ideas.

I will follow the given questionnaire:

Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: 2935sqm
Slope: Yes, see attachment
Site coverage ratio: 0.2
Floor area ratio: 0.3
Building envelope: see attachment
Edge development: No
Number of parking spaces:
Number of floors: 1 full floor
Roof style: free
Style: modern
Orientation: southwest
Maximum heights: ridge height 3.50m on slope side
Further requirements: see attachment

[ATTACH alt="CABD08A0-D39F-4E89-A4DA-0309E9ABEB86.jpeg" type="full"]34415[/ATTACH]

Client requirements
Building type: bungalow
Basement, floors: no, 1
Number of people, age: 2, 35 and 31. 2 children planned
Office: yes, for two desks and some filing meters
Overnight guests per year: 10-15
Open or closed architecture: open
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, cooking island: both yes
Number of dining seats: 6-8
Fireplace: nice but not necessary
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: 2 garage spaces
Utility garden, greenhouse: herb garden
Further wishes: dog shower

House design
Who created the design: My design implemented by the general contractor

What do you particularly like? The atrium as the visual centerpiece and the associated openness of the house

What do you not like? Some wasted space, unfavorable furnishing of the dressing room due to the 4 doors.

Price estimate according to architect/planner: €675k including paving work, exposed screed/parquet, painting work, partial air conditioning and other extras. A horizontal roller shutter to close the entire atrium is also priced in (approx. €15k)

Personal price limit for the house, including equipment: €750k

Preferred heating technology: heat pump, photovoltaic system planned

If you have to give up, which details/extras
-can you give up: space in the parents' area. 2 lift/sliding doors in the atrium, lift-sliding door in the living room
-can you not give up:

Why did the design turn out as it is now?
After the attempt to build a large house including a granny flat on the front building envelope was rejected, we are opting for two houses. To avoid further discussions regarding the eaves height, we are building bungalows.

Height lines:
Unfortunately, I cannot attach the PDF, I hope the numbers are readable.
[ATTACH alt="A712F113-3B17-4CC5-84CF-AADFCF944EF6.jpeg" type="full"]34417[/ATTACH]

Open space plan:
[ATTACH alt="F3BC09E5-50BB-452F-A733-F174C22849CA.png" type="full"]34413[/ATTACH]

Floor plan:
[ATTACH alt="CA60BC2D-A4BD-45C3-95AF-540C8EA72A8E.png" type="full"]34414[/ATTACH]

Do you really want a bungalow?
That is a 2 meter height difference, right? I can't read the numbers exactly. If yes, do you have offers to fill the area?

Regarding the floor plan
The square shape consumes space, e.g., the hallways
The light well costs a lot of money for little use

Have you ever drawn furniture to scale?
I see cooking/dining/living as difficult.

The dressing room, hallway, master bathroom, or office are larger than the children's rooms. The imbalance should be corrected.
In the children's rooms, people play, learn, sleep, meet friends; in the dressing room there are just a few cabinets and in the bathroom 10 minutes in the morning and again in the evening
The wardrobe is too small for up to 4 people
Remove the shower from the guest bathroom. You don't need 3 bathrooms

I could already imagine the light well quite nicely. But as a terrace, that is living space in summer - it should then be a bit bigger. But I don't understand why there is gravel there and then 4 lift-and-slide doors, where each piece costs 4000€... The shower in the door bathroom can be useful if you have a dog in the house, otherwise probably no one will ever use it.

Thank you for your feedback. I can already address a few points that have also been discussed with the architect:

- Yes, unfortunately, the front house is about 2 meters higher. Since we have to comply with the eaves height of 3.5m on the left side, the rear house almost completely hovers above the natural terrain. Leveling of the surfaces is planned, but it will not be completely filled to the front level. We have to remove quite a bit of topsoil to build foundation, which should all remain on the property and then be distributed during the exterior design.

- The drawn wardrobe is more of a storage place with a clothes rail; a built-in closet will be installed on the full length to the right of the front door (can be taken from the current house).

- Hallways will probably be about 40cm narrower, 1.10m should be enough and will not feel cramped through the glass to the atrium. The children's rooms will grow accordingly a bit.

- The construction around master bedroom, dressing room, and bathroom can become smaller; the architect is currently considering this. The pantry will also be narrower and should be moved slightly further back, thereby gaining a bit more space for living/dining/kitchen. In principle, it is furnishable (kitchen unit on the wall to the pantry, island, dining table, and then sofa), but more space never hurts.

- The office requires a certain size because we need to accommodate two workstations and some meters of files there.

- We "need" the atrium partly to bring light into the house and because we fully exhaust the floor area ratio. If we omit it, the house shrinks by 5 meters on each side, and we would need a skylight or something similar in the center. According to the plan, the atrium is supposed to house things like the herb garden, plants, and a breakfast table. In principle, this is not really sensible, but I have fallen in love with the idea

- The shower in the guest WC next to the entrance is planned as a dog shower, so you don’t have to run through the whole house with a dirty dog in winter.

right, the small shower is for the dog

Only gravel is currently drawn in the atrium because nothing more was calculated at the general contractor’s price, and because the foundation cushion will automatically be gravel. Officially, the floor area ratio is exhausted, but some kind of design that allows you to stay there properly and nicely is planned.

Originally, I wanted folding sliding doors so that the whole thing could be opened completely, but I was advised against it due to thermal insulation. If something has to be saved, two lift-and-slide doors will be the first to go.

What is this supposed to achieve now and here?

The thread or the question about the floor plan etc. has long been discussed in another forum... the tips and "flaws" of the floor plan have not been implemented in any way. It is still the original floor plan..

However, you write that this and that will be implemented differently.... -> then please post a current draft here and do not have the same discussion again.

Huge dressing room but the space for running meters of closet is more than meager...