Floor plan draft for a 220m² single-family house

A clear sign to take a break for now.

There won’t be much time left. We have another appointment on Thursday. Then the current draft will be presented to us, neatly planned with calculations. We already have various things regarding the windows to add.

For example, remove the two floor-to-ceiling windows to the left of the front door. On the upper floor to the left, I can also imagine two flat, wide windows. And the situation in the living room still needs to be carefully considered. The sliding door should be fixed. I’m still thinking about the windows behind the couch and to the right of the dining table. From my point of view, there are too many windows and there is little space for furniture and pictures.

Of course, we can also bring up a request regarding the roof on Thursday. But one shouldn’t wait another two weeks for that either… because the time for loan interest calculations is mercilessly approaching. Demolition of the old building starts already on Monday.

One reason to summarize the remaining options:

1) It will be built as last planned – with a hip roof – with whatever pitch….
Advantage: My wife likes it and for me it’s also a good solution. Of course, it’s not a real eye-catcher. And from my point of view the rear view doesn’t fit so well with the hip roof….

2) Plan everything anew.
No, a theoretical option which neither of us wants and certainly not the architect.

3) Implement the draft plan with a flat roof as seen in # 267
Advantage: A compromise for my wife that she would go along with. Whether I actually like it better than the hip roof solution… I don’t know.

What I find so nice about the Bauhaus posted today doesn’t really come across in our house design. For example, such windows are planned at the front where, in my estimation, external blinds wouldn’t work very well. The windows don’t seem to fit the Bauhaus style at all. Or do they?

Disadvantage:
There are just some lingering doubts in my mind, better to have a pitched roof than a flat roof, so you don’t get moisture problems later.

4) If you think you can simply put a shed roof on the latest draft, that would be an option. However, it’s difficult to get my wife on board with that and convince her of the advantages.

Any other options?

3) Realize preliminary design with flat roof as seen in # 267 Advantage: A compromise for my wife that she would go along with. Whether I actually like that better than the hip roof solution.... I don’t know.

very much, yes. You live in it, not me. So take the 267. I can imagine it with a flat roof and with a hip roof. And as shown in the views even with a shed roof behind the parapet, then you have taken care of the flat roof concerns caused by construction. Maybe with the parapet without overhang (like the right house with the blinds), so that its height is only visible from the garden side, where the terrace is in front of the utility room (similar to the roof overhang of the left house). So variant 3 A, B or C.

How do you actually like the house we are currently renting? You had even requested another photo without the wall..... I would be interested to know what you say about it.

So option 3 A, B or C.

Option 3 with a hip roof is basically option 1. #265

How do you actually like the house we are currently renting?

Without the wall to the street and with a shed roof instead of the hideous oppressive lid, I would like it. I assume the basic shape is square, with an L at the bottom where only the staircase for upstairs is recessed?

Variant 3 with a hip roof is basically Variant 1. #265

Yes, that's fine, although I would prefer it with less overhang. Once the basement stairs are clarified, the floor plan 265 is also approved.

Without the wall facing the street and with a shed roof instead of the hideous oppressive lid, I would like it. I assume the basic shape is square, with an L at the bottom where only the stairwell for the upper floor is recessed?

Correct. We wonder every day how someone can build such a house, then the 1st upper floor and the penthouse owner goes down to the basement every day to sleep? A mystery..... it can’t be because of the garden, it’s a tiny garden along the road leading out of town and offers little quality of stay. I share the thought about the shed roof.

Yes, it’s okay, although I would prefer it with less overhang. Once the basement staircase is clarified, the floor plan 265 is a done deal.

That will work. Either way. In the extreme case, the passage from the kitchen to the dining area just shifts from left to right next to the steel beam. There is plenty of space in the kitchen anyway.

So now we really have a comfortable starting point for the final decisions. Three roof types, all of which would fit….. only windows and electrics to be planned in detail (I would like to separate the latter from the general contractor contract to hire a trusted electrician myself), the exterior facilities, and small details in the floor plan still to clarify. For example, the dressing room only 1m wide. We saw in the show house of Luxhaus a 1.30m wide dressing room with two closets left and right as in ours. That fits perfectly. Maybe we’ll take 15-20cm more from the bedroom if that works.

I’ve made many notes about the windows. I don’t want to explain everything in detail now but will show it later when it is finished. We are still planning some high-set, flat, elongated windows in the kitchen, utility room, children’s bathroom, child 1, bathroom and office.

Where I would gladly take input from the forum, since I can’t make a decision, is regarding the living and dining area. Currently, there is the sliding door, a window behind the couch, and a window next to the dining table shown. I think that is one window too many. I prefer more space for furniture placement, hanging options for pictures, etc. Thoughts on this:

1) Omit the window behind the couch and instead move the sliding door slightly toward the couch?

2) Omit the window next to the dining table? Subjectively, this would bring more for the furniture placement and for the picture hanging possibilities than the wall space freed behind the couch. However, the sun will come in from there.

3) If you decide not to omit any of the windows, an idea would be to design the window next to the dining table identical to the corner window in the kitchen.

Does anyone have a good idea about this? I think there are many arguments in favor of removing the window behind the couch and either leaving the sliding door where it is or moving it slightly toward the couch. Lots of light in the dining area is nice; in the couch area, where 90% of the time you watch TV, less light is important… Of course, furniture placement options are less ideal behind the couch… Maybe someone has completely new ideas.

In the office, there is still the consideration of installing a panoramic window instead of the standard window. If the window behind the couch should disappear, you are basically free there and don’t have to pay attention to two identical windows anymore.

Do yourself a favor and leave these windows exactly as drawn. They are not too many in terms of lighting. To be able to ventilate by tilting, you need the opening of the window in the office and the window door in the dining area. For reasons of symmetry, also keep both equally wide and both divided in the middle. All their positions are also correct as shown in 265. The panoramic window gets a venetian blind.

The mentioned windows on the upper floor are exactly right*, I would only make the two windows in Child 1's room the same size, so also place the one above the desk at a sill height of 1m.

I think it is good to move the partition wall between the dressing room and bedroom, about 25 cm is okay, and I would add a door to it so as not to disturb the sleeper in the dressing room.

*) one could even say: exemplary coordinated, also with their colleagues on the ground floor on the same facade