Draft floor plan: Ground floor planning

Hello Michael,

thank you very much for your advice.

Unfortunately, we had to experience that no one starts working before a signature has been made.

Best regards

Hello,

I just looked at the original floor plan. It probably isn’t that easy to remodel. The simplest option: rotate and mirror it, then carve the office out of the living room. But then you always have to go through the kitchen to get to the living room.

Given your requirements for the rooms on the ground floor and your (estimated) starting position on the property, I would go back to square one, completely detach yourself from the floor plan and just start searching again. (Or talk to someone who knows about these things).

What has proven effective for us: go to possible providers, present our wishes including the property, and listen to the provider’s proposals (usually slightly modified, already built floor plans). That is usually a very good starting point.

And: always look at the big picture (house on the property, interaction between ground floor and upper floor...)

Best regards

Michael

Hi Matze,

Yes, we also had the impression for a while that they all only start planning after the order. But there wasn't a provider among them where the spark jumped in other areas (or the gut feeling was really good). It's not about a complete plan but about ideas, rough sketches, or comparable houses already built. And if you look around a bit and make an effort, you do get concrete ideas and suggestions.

Otherwise, just keep searching for suitable floor plans, fortunately there are very many floor plans freely available on the internet. I think with the current floor plan/on the basis of the shown floor plan you won’t be able to reasonably (meaning: functionally) accommodate your wishes.

And yes: if you, for example, commission an architect with the planning, that costs money. The money for the (detailed) planning is of course included in the price with a general contractor as well. But the planning from an architect can also be implemented in different ways (with a general contractor, with awarding by the architect…). But: do you want a functioning floor plan in the end (meaning: a house that works for you) or do you want something along the lines of "it'll somehow be fine"? There are general contractors (I can’t judge the provider this is about) who will build it exactly as you sketched it. Whether it is good or works afterwards doesn’t matter; you commissioned it that way!

Best regards

Michael

A small addition: If you look at your draft and the [OG], you can see why you always have to consider the big picture and cannot plan/consider the [EG] separately from the [OG]. If you build the stairs as drawn, you won't be able to enter 3 rooms upstairs anymore...

If you want to get advice, then you also have to be straightforward sometimes. The room orientation with windows explains itself. But why exactly this house? Do you, for example, now find the corner extremely good or do you like it because it has 90 sqm downstairs? Do you want to build with Danwood or do you just want this corner house and something similar with someone else? What is this room on the ground floor supposed to be? Should it be an office or actually contain a double bed? Why should the technology be behind the kitchen?

Answers: With Danwood certain walls are fixed, these are here – I think – the hallway walls including the enclosed staircase. If you want a different staircase, you also have to plan the space... 15 steps with an adequate tread belong to it. You don’t offer this space in your current version at all. Danwood also plans your house individually – if you rotate and mirror, but want the dining room wall facing southwest, that should be possible! But then you still don’t have an additional room on the ground floor. Draw it on paper... then mirrored, best to stick it against a pane of glass and redraw it. And then mirror on a diagonal... that is work, but it helps to make the measurements understandable to you.

Otherwise choose a rectangular house, that is easier.

I like the floor plans from Danwood, but what you did is unfortunately a disfigurement...

What I also don’t like is the oversized garage... if you have that much money left over, why not an architect?

What I have to say otherwise: We have about 85 sqm downstairs... generous living including an additional 14.5 sqm room on the ground floor...

Hello,

yes, somehow no one really starts working without a signature.

Surely there are suitable floor plans. What we really like is the house itself, also from the outside. It immediately caught our eye. None of the providers have drawn anything for us so far that even remotely appeals to us. They say everything else costs money. Here, it seems they are just after a quick deal. That’s understandable, since in the show homes you mostly deal with salespeople.

Unfortunately, we did not have a really good feeling with any of the providers in Bad Vilbel.

Maybe we are just making it too complicated.

In the end, it should be pleasing, inside and outside.

Hello YPG,

The room orientation is primarily related to the cardinal directions.

We really like the house visually as it is depicted there. This way we can very well imagine it from the outside.
We also like the corner very much because you can place something a bit sheltered there and it is covered.

We have not decided on the manufacturer yet. We really like this house from Danwood, also compared to other manufacturers that offer a lot of standard and off-the-shelf designs.

I understood the part about the 15 steps that way. What we do not want is a staircase that goes directly up at the entrance, so we liked this variant. Also, Fingerhut... offers a variant where the staircase is centrally adapted.

The additional room on the ground floor is intended to serve as an office for now. Furthermore, it should alternatively be available if a parent should come to stay with us (due to age or health reasons).

Sorry if I apparently messed up the floor plan. That is why I am also looking here for ideas and personal experiences that some homeowners might want to share.

We left the room behind the kitchen as it is because we could also use it as a utility room. The connections are located on the right side in the street. Therefore, this is the room closest to the connections.

Thank you anyway for the thoughts you are putting into our project.