chrisse
2020-05-18 14:12:51
- #1
Hello everyone,
I have been following here for a few weeks and have picked up some ideas and probably already managed to improve a few things with your help.
Therefore, I think it is now time to put our currently developed floor plan up for discussion. On the one hand, you tend to become somewhat "blind" to your own design over time, and on the other hand, as I have seen in other topics, there are many members here with a lot of experience.
Please excuse the visually not optimal plans. I placed the furniture over the floor plans with tracing paper. I have not found (for me) a suitable software solution into which I could have imported the architect's plans. I then gave up and did it by hand
I am looking forward to your suggestions. Criticism and suggestions are also welcome. We are still in the phase where we can adjust and optimize quite a bit.
Many thanks to everyone in advance.
Chrisse
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: >1,000 sqm
Slope: no
Floor area ratio 0.3
Floor space index
Building window, building line and boundary: building window depth has already been fully utilized from north to south with the design
Edge development
Number of parking spaces: 4
Number of floors: 2
Roof shape: permitted are pyramid roof, gable roof, and hip roof
Style:
Orientation: plans are all oriented exactly to the north. Entrance therefore in the north.
Maximum heights/limits: maximum wall height: 5.60m (measured at the bottom edge of the rafters)
Further specifications
Client requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: gable roof
Basement, floors: 2 full floors plus basement
Number of people, ages: 5 persons (38, 37, 4, 2, 0)
Space requirements on EG, OG:
On the ground floor: office partly for home office, guest WC with shower, pantry, utility room (also as dirt separation between garage/kitchen), kitchen with dining area, living room
On the upper floor: 3 fairly equal children’s rooms. Separate children’s bathroom, parent area accessed via dressing room, which also serves as a distributor to the parents’ bathroom and bedroom so that there is no disturbance if one is already/still sleeping.
In the basement: utility room, earth cellar, guest room with toilet, storage room, hobby room, workshop
Office: family use or home office? Home office and meetings (volunteering, club, etc.)
Guests per year: 5
Open or closed architecture: kitchen and dining area open, living room adjacent but somewhat separable
Conservative or modern construction: modern country house style
Open kitchen, cooking island: yes, open with space to have breakfast together at the cooking island.
Number of seats for dining: daily 5, extendable to 10
Fireplace: would be nice as a "room divider" to the living area
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: upper floor west side balcony in front of children’s rooms
Garage, carport: double garage, 8.50m long because of bicycles etc.
Kitchen garden, greenhouse: no
House design
Planned by:
Friend architect (with lots of input from us)
What do you particularly like?
Few living rooms to the north street/neighbor and therefore well “shielded,” quite open to the south as no neighbor, and a nice view of the forest to the east.
What do you not like?
Kitchen, dining area up to the fireplace is somewhat narrow compared to the length. This is partly due to the restricted width of the building window combined with the absolutely desired double garage, as well as the fact that it is two plots of land, the eastern one being limited to a maximum floor area ratio of 110 sqm. Because of this, despite a possibly narrower garage, we really cannot build any wider. This is not bad in itself but still requires some consideration regarding the sensible layout of kitchen/dining/living areas.
The living room is intentionally relatively small because we only want private seating and a TV there and want to keep it rather "cozy." For this reason, on the other side of the fireplace, a small seating group for when we have visitors.
Price estimate according to architect/planner: 650k
Personal price limit for the house, including equipment: -
Preferred heating technology: traditional (gas boiler with photovoltaics), underfloor heating
If you have to give up something, on which details/extensions
- can you do without:
A few sqm in the western children’s rooms and in the parents’ bathroom
- can you not do without:
Spacious utility room with “dirt shower” (for kids’ clothes, shoes, etc.)
Spacious entrance area (nothing worse than visitors bumping noses while taking off jackets)
Why did the design turn out as it is now? For example
We created a sort of requirements specification for ourselves, indicating which rooms we need and approximately how big they should be. Also wishes like a guest WC with shower, utility room between garage and kitchen, dressing room in the parent area, etc.
Which wishes were implemented by the architect?
Basically, almost all requirements were implemented as requested or we optimized with the architect until we had the current result.
We also visited countless model home parks and looked at many floor plans in books and on the internet to get ideas.
What do you think is particularly good or bad about it?
GOOD: We find the orientations optimal. Few living rooms facing north, very open to the south (no problem, since no direct neighbors). Morning sun in the bedroom in the east, nice view of the town/rest of the development to the west by the children’s rooms.
BAD: kitchen/dining/living area is a bit narrow relative to the length. Furniture arrangement/usage is not yet optimal.
The integration of the stove as a room divider between dining and living area is not yet convincing for us. We want a small seating group between dining and living areas that one can use together with guests.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
- Do you notice any weak points that we have not identified or that you find suboptimal (e.g. somewhat too narrow or too wide, too big or too small)?
- Do you have ideas regarding sensible layout/use of kitchen and dining area?
- Otherwise, we are open to all comments, tips, and ideas and very grateful.

I have been following here for a few weeks and have picked up some ideas and probably already managed to improve a few things with your help.
Therefore, I think it is now time to put our currently developed floor plan up for discussion. On the one hand, you tend to become somewhat "blind" to your own design over time, and on the other hand, as I have seen in other topics, there are many members here with a lot of experience.
Please excuse the visually not optimal plans. I placed the furniture over the floor plans with tracing paper. I have not found (for me) a suitable software solution into which I could have imported the architect's plans. I then gave up and did it by hand
I am looking forward to your suggestions. Criticism and suggestions are also welcome. We are still in the phase where we can adjust and optimize quite a bit.
Many thanks to everyone in advance.
Chrisse
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: >1,000 sqm
Slope: no
Floor area ratio 0.3
Floor space index
Building window, building line and boundary: building window depth has already been fully utilized from north to south with the design
Edge development
Number of parking spaces: 4
Number of floors: 2
Roof shape: permitted are pyramid roof, gable roof, and hip roof
Style:
Orientation: plans are all oriented exactly to the north. Entrance therefore in the north.
Maximum heights/limits: maximum wall height: 5.60m (measured at the bottom edge of the rafters)
Further specifications
Client requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: gable roof
Basement, floors: 2 full floors plus basement
Number of people, ages: 5 persons (38, 37, 4, 2, 0)
Space requirements on EG, OG:
On the ground floor: office partly for home office, guest WC with shower, pantry, utility room (also as dirt separation between garage/kitchen), kitchen with dining area, living room
On the upper floor: 3 fairly equal children’s rooms. Separate children’s bathroom, parent area accessed via dressing room, which also serves as a distributor to the parents’ bathroom and bedroom so that there is no disturbance if one is already/still sleeping.
In the basement: utility room, earth cellar, guest room with toilet, storage room, hobby room, workshop
Office: family use or home office? Home office and meetings (volunteering, club, etc.)
Guests per year: 5
Open or closed architecture: kitchen and dining area open, living room adjacent but somewhat separable
Conservative or modern construction: modern country house style
Open kitchen, cooking island: yes, open with space to have breakfast together at the cooking island.
Number of seats for dining: daily 5, extendable to 10
Fireplace: would be nice as a "room divider" to the living area
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: upper floor west side balcony in front of children’s rooms
Garage, carport: double garage, 8.50m long because of bicycles etc.
Kitchen garden, greenhouse: no
House design
Planned by:
Friend architect (with lots of input from us)
What do you particularly like?
Few living rooms to the north street/neighbor and therefore well “shielded,” quite open to the south as no neighbor, and a nice view of the forest to the east.
What do you not like?
Kitchen, dining area up to the fireplace is somewhat narrow compared to the length. This is partly due to the restricted width of the building window combined with the absolutely desired double garage, as well as the fact that it is two plots of land, the eastern one being limited to a maximum floor area ratio of 110 sqm. Because of this, despite a possibly narrower garage, we really cannot build any wider. This is not bad in itself but still requires some consideration regarding the sensible layout of kitchen/dining/living areas.
The living room is intentionally relatively small because we only want private seating and a TV there and want to keep it rather "cozy." For this reason, on the other side of the fireplace, a small seating group for when we have visitors.
Price estimate according to architect/planner: 650k
Personal price limit for the house, including equipment: -
Preferred heating technology: traditional (gas boiler with photovoltaics), underfloor heating
If you have to give up something, on which details/extensions
- can you do without:
A few sqm in the western children’s rooms and in the parents’ bathroom
- can you not do without:
Spacious utility room with “dirt shower” (for kids’ clothes, shoes, etc.)
Spacious entrance area (nothing worse than visitors bumping noses while taking off jackets)
Why did the design turn out as it is now? For example
We created a sort of requirements specification for ourselves, indicating which rooms we need and approximately how big they should be. Also wishes like a guest WC with shower, utility room between garage and kitchen, dressing room in the parent area, etc.
Which wishes were implemented by the architect?
Basically, almost all requirements were implemented as requested or we optimized with the architect until we had the current result.
We also visited countless model home parks and looked at many floor plans in books and on the internet to get ideas.
What do you think is particularly good or bad about it?
GOOD: We find the orientations optimal. Few living rooms facing north, very open to the south (no problem, since no direct neighbors). Morning sun in the bedroom in the east, nice view of the town/rest of the development to the west by the children’s rooms.
BAD: kitchen/dining/living area is a bit narrow relative to the length. Furniture arrangement/usage is not yet optimal.
The integration of the stove as a room divider between dining and living area is not yet convincing for us. We want a small seating group between dining and living areas that one can use together with guests.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
- Do you notice any weak points that we have not identified or that you find suboptimal (e.g. somewhat too narrow or too wide, too big or too small)?
- Do you have ideas regarding sensible layout/use of kitchen and dining area?
- Otherwise, we are open to all comments, tips, and ideas and very grateful.