Family house in Allgäu - Presentation of our planning

Normally I don’t write anything about drafts, as it’s not my area. However, I do notice the oversized foyer (you call it generous). If you’re planning an even bigger family, I would rather think about how to generously accommodate the family in the living area instead of sacrificing a foyer that is only rarely used for expensive money (what else is it actually for besides putting on and taking off jackets/shoes?).

Hello Torsten, thanks for your opinion! Regarding the rarely used foyer, I want to say that in our case it is rather not rarely used. No matter which room I go into, I have to go through our foyer. We like the spaciousness, especially because we have recently visited some people who just built and every time the terribly narrow entrance area caught our eye. When you take off your jacket there, you automatically knock a few pictures off the wall. That you don’t like it shows me that it is just right for us. Thanks for that! When I objectively compare your floor plan with our project, I also immediately notice that two different worlds collide there! Hardly more opposite. I like that! Everyone as they please!

If you’re already redacting the names, I would change the image names directly as well otherwise I also find the foyer unnecessarily large

Haha! Of course, my name is not Schwarz!

I don’t think it’s bad. Does a wardrobe fit in the master bedroom? How many square meters is it in total? 158 can’t be right.

Hello, it’s just under 170 sqm of living space. Yes, a wardrobe fits in. The bedroom is exactly the same size as our current one.

Hello, compared to the whole house I personally find the foyer on the ground floor somewhat large as well. The bathrooms, on the other hand, would be too tight for me, both on the ground floor and upstairs. The sliding door planned from the foyer to the living/dining area looks very narrow at least visually (in relation to the size of the foyer). I would at least install a double-leaf sliding door here – that would probably give a much more spacious impression. If it were my house, I would consider replacing the staircase with a half-turned staircase. That saves space and you could reduce the foyer in favor of the master bathroom. The children’s rooms have a decent size. However, with four children’s rooms I would at least plan a second washbasin in the children’s bathroom. Regards, Dirk

Hello Dirk, thanks for the input! - The sliding door is a good point. I will discuss that! - The straight staircase (dry construction/closed) is actually a waste of space, but we like it very much. Probably the cause is, again, the open, steep, and terribly narrow stairs of acquaintances. - The size of the children’s rooms is also important to us. I had to look at quite a few children’s rooms the size of storage rooms and I, because I like my children, decided against such nonsense. (By the way: some builders plan more space for their car than for the children’s rooms...) - A second washbasin sounds like a good idea. I will consider it. We didn’t have this in our childhood and didn’t miss it because from a certain age you are mostly alone in the bathroom. But on the other hand, some simultaneous use does happen… A good point. Thanks!

The two foyers are a joke. The air space is, in my view, unnecessary and useless. Roughly estimated, that’s 25 sqm of wasted space with corresponding costs (~40,000 €?! ) – madness! Edit: Ok, the large foyer downstairs was requested, but why? It doesn’t offer much space for furniture or something similar. The upper foyer is supposed to serve as a computer workstation. Well, I’d probably put that somewhere else. Air space still unnecessary. You have an architect?! Why doesn’t he plan?

Hello, thanks for your input!

What a shabby draft. Tight 45 sqm for 6 people (excluding guests) for dining/living/cooking, but 40 sqm of circulation/air space – such a thing is pure waste. How often do you welcome guests and spend time in the foyer? How often do you stay in the kitchen/living/dining? 4 children are supposed to share a miniature bathroom? Ok, for that they can greet their friends in the ground floor foyer and queue there until the bathroom is free... The furnishings don’t match the specified measurements. 10-person dining table with 50 cm passage on both sides – nice squeezing. Kitchen island in mini format (so the grease can nicely splash onto the dining table) and also with 50 cm passage – none of this will work. Garbage times three.

Hello, thanks for your views on the topic “garbage times three.” Well, the 47 sqm living area is hard for me personally to assess now – you probably have more experience. We currently live (for 4 years) in an apartment with 55 sqm living space -> total! So all rooms combined! The 47 sqm seemed to me more reasonable. But if you say that is too small for us (or for you), I take note. The furnishings don’t fit, that’s true!

Here are the experts writing... The room is 4.07 m wide. Where should there be a crowd? Kitchen island is not my thing, 1.2 m would theoretically suffice. Post the floor plan in the green forum, I’d be interested in what is said there.

Hello, the kitchen island is only marked here as an example. We don’t like it either. We imagine more a G-shaped kitchen.

It really is a rarely bad floor plan. Into the trash and start anew. @ 4 meters might be ok. But 2x 50 cm passage into the kitchen?!!! And a kitchen island measuring 1 meter x 0.5? What’s that nonsense?

Hello, do you decide whether a floor plan is good or bad? If you already write such nonsense, please phrase it like the others and start such sentences with “I think that”... That doesn’t sound so – in my opinion – unsympathetic and then karma works better. Thanks anyway and all the best!

How do you come to that conclusion? 4.07 - 1.2 = 2.87 - 2*80 cm = 1.27 m island. BEF, to see if I’m really that far off – as said, I don’t find the floor plan that bad. Sure, air space is unnecessary and the foyer might be a bit too big (whereby 6 sqm of the 21 are already the wardrobe)

Hello again, I’m sorry about the drawn island. I should have clarified this point directly beforehand. It only leads to pointless “arguments” now. Sorry!

You write above “own planning,” but then talk about the architect and architect stamps are now visible. Is the architect employed by the house building company or did he just copy your plans? I find it – no offense – a bit “sad” that after over 4 years you only produced such a thoughtless waste. Although some wishes are new, so hopefully the planning is not that old after all

Hello, yes basically just copied. Yes, the architect works with the building company – in 99% of the builds. The planning is about half a year old. BEF I don’t know, sorry. My main goal is to hear other people’s opinions. Whether that helps me further or I change anything because of it is another matter. But the chance of positive input is simply higher than posting nothing here. Ultimately the posts that are exciting are those in which a suggestion for improvement is made. Thank you!

Because the topic of "too large hallway" was brought up so often here, I have adjusted the submitted design a bit with a smaller hallway and a larger dining area instead. In the newly gained space, larger cabinets (games, etc.) can also stand well. However, access to the master bedroom would then be through the dining area. I have also equipped the dining table with 10 chairs. In my eyes, it is always a matter of taste what the respective builders value. Everyone has to decide that for themselves. However, our garage is also 27 sqm and the children's room "only" 20 sqm

Hi, the kitchen island is only marked here as an example. We don’t like it either. We rather imagine a kitchen in a G-shape.

Hello,

in my opinion, that will fit better.

I would then recommend you to consider whether the cooktop really has to be on the "peninsula", or if it might actually be better placed against a wall.

Cook islands or, as possible in your case, cook peninsulas are rarely so large that there are no grease splashes on the floor or the often adjacent counter area. Also, the issue of an exhaust or recirculating hood, which might then hang right in the line of sight and disrupt the visual axis, is usually no longer a problem if the cooktop is placed against a wall.

For exactly these reasons, we have installed the cooktop on the wall and built the peninsula as a preparation surface. Then a corner counter was added, creating a nice and open communication area from the kitchen through the dining area to the living room.

Regards,

Dirk

I can also send you our floor plan if you're interested. 190 sqm, gable roof, and 4 children's rooms.

Would you give up the air space in the upper floor in favor of enlarging the children's bathroom?

In my opinion, the hallway is really very large, while the "main room" family area is too small. 47 sqm for 6 people is quite cramped. Especially since children like to play near their parents when they are younger. Later on, homework is often done at the dining table. At least in elementary school, and later gladly together with siblings...... I recommend reducing the size of the hallway and installing a different staircase. Especially in the staircase area, I notice that you almost trip over the lowest step as soon as you enter through the door. A staircase with a landing between two straight flight sections and a window front would be nice. That would lighten things up.

The guest WC could be enlarged by adding another shower. The day will come when 5-6 people need to leave the house within a short time frame. By then, you will be grateful for another alternative.

Many greetings from Eve, whose "main room" is 46 sqm in size.

Overall dimensions are 14*10.40 and 14*8.74. The passageway is 1.15m – I also feared it might be too tight; however, it feels appropriate. We have not moved in yet.