Dressing Room/Bedroom Problem - Floor Plan Discussion

I would first think about the orientation and location. Shorter driveway, parking spaces/garage to the west, create as much space as possible to the south. Who knows if the neighbor won’t eventually block your view into his garden (with something ugly). So I would rather orient the house to the east and west! South-facing windows yes, terrace/bay window no. The entrance area would bother me in the floor plan and there is far too little storage space! With 160 sqm you can create much more!

Thank you all for the answers.

This access to the house would be a no-go for me: shoveling snow (which does happen quite often every year), driving backwards, lighting in the dark, openness to the main garden from visitors....

Shoveling snow is a good objection, I hadn't seen it that way before.

If I had to decide between yours and BT's, I would still take BT's. The living space absolutely loses due to its long shape, and whether you get a bigger wardrobe... ?

What exactly do you mean by losing and long shape? Unfortunately, I don’t understand.

The small cabinet looks more like a shoe or telephone cabinet

Oh, really? How big should a proper wardrobe be?

I would basically use the stairs as a wardrobe... lock them from below, risers and a door – that’s enough for 4 people.

We will probably do that too, at least as additional storage space.

Why do young people decide for an expensive and unnecessary bay window from the 80s?

Purely a matter of taste. In all show houses where we have seen something like that, we liked it.

I would definitely mirror the kitchen, including the patio door (improves the view).

How would you mirror the kitchen? So that the patio door is at the bottom, ok. Should your opinion then also have the suggested upper row moved down and the peninsula moved up to the wall? As for the view, there is a carport or garage planned on the northern side in front of the utility room. Whether it will be attached directly to the house, I don’t know yet. But then the view would be irrelevant anyway, right?

Remove the door to the utility room. Then there’s an entire wall free in the utility room for storage cabinets, and also for tall cabinets in the kitchen.

We have already discussed the idea of removing one of the doors. That would increase walking distances, but one has to make some compromise. You would remove the door to the kitchen. Why not the one to the hallway?

Of course, I add another: Move the house forward and have a second terrace from the kitchen to the east with double doors. !!!

There will probably also be a small second terrace to the east. I would also prefer double doors. But at the cost of a kitchen cabinet? I don’t know...

Upstairs the door to the bedroom should go and access should be via the dressing room at the front.

Does that have certain advantages or is it purely a matter of taste? My wife and I prefer the dressing room to be the holding cell.

Straighten the tub.

That was an interim experiment that somehow made it into the saved document.

I would first think about the orientation and location.

Actually, we already thought about the orientation and location, or so I thought.

Shorter driveway

That is being considered.

Parking spaces/garage to the west

Do you mean that in general or referring to this specific case?

Try to create more space to the south

Unfortunately, much more is not possible. There is already the neighbor’s property there.

Who knows if the neighbor won’t eventually block your view into his garden (with something ugly).

Do you mean the neighbor to the south? There is (still) no one to the west.

I would therefore rather orient the house east and west!

What exactly do you mean by that? Should the rooms be oriented so that the windows face east and west?

Windows to the south yes, terrace/bay window no.

I think there are enough windows to the south on the ground floor, unfortunately not so many upstairs. But the roof has to go somewhere too.

What bothers me about the floor plan is the entrance area and far too little storage space! With 160 sqm you can create much more!

Yes, that bothers us too. We also think that with so much space you can do much more. Do you perhaps have some examples where it is solved better?

Regards,
Alex

First of all, you should read the other floor plan discussions in the beginning: in the first reply posts you can usually already identify fundamental mistakes in BT floor plans and apply tips.

What exactly do you mean by losing and long shape? Unfortunately, I don't understand that.

A room does not gain value if it is planned too long. The ratio to the width must be present.

Oh, really? How big should a reasonable wardrobe be?

Calculate it yourself: rain jacket, good coat, all-round jacket, light jacket, times 4 people, shoes are no different, with children even more. Bags, scarves...

How would you mirror the kitchen?

Something like this

We have also discussed the idea of removing one of the doors. Then the walking distances increase, but some compromise will have to be made. You would leave out the door to the kitchen. Why not the one to the hallway?

The door to the hallway is central for: short paths for laundry and daily work, craftsmen, garden passage towards the toilet, etc. If you only leave the door to the kitchen, every path, whether with laundry or dirty shoes, goes through the kitchen. That would be somewhat pointless.
You only have a few supplies and kitchen appliances in the utility room, and if there are more, they can be quickly fetched before cooking.

So in front of the utility room on the northern side a carport or garage is planned.

Regarding the view, a carport or garage is planned in front of the utility room on the northern side. I don’t yet know if it will be built directly onto the house. But then the view doesn’t really matter anyway, right?

You are pushing everything a bit thoughtlessly onto the plot, in my opinion. There is more potential.
My answer:

Purely a matter of taste.

A small second terrace will probably also be in the east. I would also prefer double doors. But at the expense of a kitchen cabinet?

You get that back by leaving out the utility room door

Does that have specific advantages or is it purely a matter of taste? My wife and I prefer the dressing room to be the prison cell.

If you always want to disturb each other when getting up...

Actually, we have already thought about the orientation and location, or at least I thought so.

Hmm, then upload the layout of your plot again with planting, structure, and possible future subdivision.

You can modify this design somewhat here and there now, but for me the question would be:
Is the location of the house really well thought out?
For example, I would never buy such a narrow elongated plot. Let’s leave the legal hassle with the street house aside (no access, who has which obligations, that can be regulated in the contract, but there are people who want trouble, and you yourself can get weird too),
I personally don’t want to live in the second row. This apparently is not a main traffic road?!

If the house stays where it is (everyone has different preferences), the carport at the back lies in the best evening sun in summer – if the house in the north were not there.
Just for that reason, I would probably place it differently. Probably differently, because I am not currently in the situation to think for weeks about whether I will need this subdivision someday.

I would still consider a completely different house, because is right with the statement that more can be achieved with 160 sqm.

We signed with a local builder a few weeks ago

The question then is: for what? Do you even have other options?

First of all, you should read the other floor plan discussions in the beginning: in the first reply posts you can usually already identify fundamental mistakes of BT floor plans and apply tips.

I have already been doing that for a while, both here and on various other sites. With every piece of information, you look at the draft more critically.

A room does not gain value if it is planned too long. The ratio to the width must be present.

Are there approximate rules on what a "healthy" ratio should be?

Calculate it yourself: rain jacket, good coat, all-round jacket, airy jacket, times 4 people, shoes are no different, especially for children. Bags, scarves...

Yes, I think I understand...

Something like that

I have understood it in the meantime. By the way, the idea is great, I will show it to my wife tonight, thank you very much for that! We were at a kitchen planner this week. I'm surprised that he didn’t make such a suggestion...

But you are pushing everything onto the plot rather thoughtlessly, in my opinion. There is more potential.

We are not doing it without any consideration either. The carport is useful, for example, when you come home with groceries. Then you park your car right in front of the side entrance door. When it rains, it’s even better if the carport is not that far away.

If you always want to disturb each other while getting up...

Good point.

Hmm, then upload the layout of your plot again with planting, structure and possible later subdivision.

That does not exist yet. We actually only know that there is enough space behind the house as seen from the street for a garden, a garden shed, and so forth.

Is the location of the house really well thought out?

We believe so. Shoveling snow is so far the best argument against this location for me.

For example, I would never buy such an extreme flagpole-shaped plot. Leaving aside the legal hassle with the street house (no passage, who has which duties, that can be regulated in the contract, but there are people who want trouble, you yourself can also become awkward)

Maybe I should have added that the plot already belongs to us. We inherited it. So regarding that, we have no choice.

I myself would not want to live in the second row. This does not appear to be a main thoroughfare?!

If it comes down to that, I prefer to live in the second row, at least in this case. To the east, there is nothing anymore. There is a small lake.

If the house stays where it is (everyone has different preferences), the carport at the back lies in the best evening sun in summer - if the house in the north wasn’t standing there. For this reason alone, I would probably place it differently. Probably differently because I am not currently in a situation to think for weeks about whether I will need this subdivision someday.

There is no house yet in the north. But there is supposed to be a small workshop of my father-in-law. Visually, it will align with the house, therefore also the same building line.

I would still think about a completely different house because is right in saying that with 160 sqm more can be achieved.

Do you perhaps have an example in which direction your thoughts would go? I gladly believe you that more can be gotten out of the 160 m². But I have probably become so blind by now that I try to project every house onto this pattern. As I said, I am open to suggestions of all kinds.

The question then is: for what? Do you still have other options at all?

We are expecting a child and would have to expand anyway during the year. So why not go straight into our own house? The company made us a very good offer, so that we actually had to accept it. And as long as no building application has been submitted, basically everything is still possible.

Regards, Alex

If there is a lake to the east and you actually want to divide the property, I would also build far towards the east. But first, find out whether a division is even possible and, if so, what needs to be considered. As a basic idea, I have this one here. Terrace on the east side towards the lake and on the west side (evening sun). Carport next to the utility room to the west. But this is just a quick sketch. Whether this would really fit must be checked by a professional. Regards

We are expecting offspring and would have to expand anyway during the year. So why not move straight into our own house? The company gave us a very good offer, so we basically had to bite. And as long as no building application has been submitted, in principle everything is still possible.

The question was aimed at the term builder/developer. A builder offers you a piece of house on a piece of land for purchase. And if you say a signature has already been made, then you simply have to ask whether there is flexibility in the building structure. But if it is already your land anyway, then it will be a general contractor whom you commissioned to build your house. I am, however, amazed that a) there is no architect employed there and b) you gave such a person an order.

Well then: at least the info is that you are still free when it comes to designs. What kind of model houses does the general contractor offer? I can imagine that free planning is not desired or that you should orient yourselves to grids or existing sizes so that the calculated statics can be adopted...

If there is a lake in the east and you actually want to divide the plot, I would also build far towards the east. But first find out whether division is possible at all and if so, what must be observed.

I see it the same way: house with a view of the lake, windows in the west for the sun, possibly an east orientation with the living area... if you can even see the lake??

For snow shoveling, an agency should be commissioned seasonally, otherwise you won’t get to work on time.