Floor plan single-family house, 5 children, architect's design

Many laypeople simply count the "check marks" behind firstly "we like it (somehow)" and secondly to n. the wishes found again in the draft (and then just wonder what the strange uncle 11ant is complaining about again). Especially since he doesn’t say anything against individual door swings or sink-basin distances or the like. But from a planning professional’s point of view, this is a lousy PL (= planning without knowledge), which also cannot be "cured" by nevertheless liking it, as the lawyer so nicely puts it. No, if I were to comment here like in the Frosta advertisement "delicious, Peter, but a little more Curcuma," I would find that so unprofessional that I would have to go to confession even as a Protestant ;-)

Dear Uncle 11ant (I’ll pick this up here for now),
I thank you for your efforts in reviewing and am certainly open to criticism, especially since I did not create the draft. Your sharpness aside; it prompts reflection, even if we do not fully agree. This is an experienced architect who has certainly taken the dimensions and property characteristics into account and has also observed the heights and requirements. He has already explicitly addressed the encroachments of the building envelope in the first conversation.

I do not see a lousy plan here, but of course, there is always room for improvement.

If your time permits, I would gladly like to see a rough draft from you that you would consider to fit better. I know this is not your task, but since you are exercising such harsh criticism, I would be interested to know how you would solve it with the given number of rooms on the upper floor and the specified building envelope :)

You have given a nice task to an architect. The architect solves many areas with "more" space. That is absolutely legitimate. Therefore, the +1 floor will also work. On the 0 floor, despite the available space, I see a few potential weaknesses in the design. The architectural style is a matter of taste; what the pictures show is representative and mixes modern and traditional elements. I cannot yet recognize the narrative arc based on the drawings, but that may be on me.
1. The entrance area is nicely large, which is initially very pleasant. If you also belong to the families where jackets, shoes, and other stuff are laid down or even stored at the entrance, the question arises about the “where,” because very little is planned for this.

The cloakroom is intended for this, and for personal clothes and shoes certainly also the utility room as a buffer from the garage. Do you think this is not enough? Regarding our planning, it should also be said that the patchwork life is only lived a few days a week and more than 50% of the week it is just the two of us.

2. The living area is comparatively small. The furnishings by the architect do not take into account all the people living in the house. Taking the corner from the terrace and assigning it to the living area would be one way to solve this.

Thanks, this point is understandable. We will include it in our requests for changes.

3. Using a terrace as an extended living space corresponds to a lifestyle we also like to live. That the swimming pool is directly adjacent has a hotel quality. How much you really want to have this all year round, I cannot judge. If I understand correctly, you could design the property so that the swimming and outdoor sauna area are not on the same level as the 0 floor. This would give you proximity to the terrace but take it out of sight during the dark season. By the way, you could possibly build a “convertible roof” rather inconspicuously over it to be able to swim even in winter..

We will rotate the pool 90 degrees and place it longitudinally on the west side of the terrace. Otherwise, it was already a wish to have the property on one level.

And a few small things: The pantry is large enough to get its own outside door. Walking routes would immediately be optimized. The side door at the garage moved a little further towards the bicycles (the space is not big if each person has at least one) avoids trouble at the car, especially if the less frequently used favorite vehicles park in a not directly accessible position.

Understandable, but unfortunately not feasible due to the property, as we cannot dig further toward the neighbor there.

Based on the overall proportions of the house, the stairwell is too small for me. Not a functional but an aesthetic question.

We are happy to take that on board.

Also an aesthetic question: the positioning of the office – somehow looks squeezed in.

Unfortunately, I lack the idea to optimize this.

A connection from the pool to the pool technology is very sensible.

We will take the pool technology out of the basement and sink it next to the pool.

Think of a cellar door and storage of all the pool furniture if they are not to remain outside during the cold season. Here too, the terracing of the pool towards the -1 level can pay off.

Certainly worth considering.

If you raise the terrain so high, you can create more parking space instead of soil and possibly separate the “nice cars” from everyday use.

One idea was to make the 4-car garage above into a double garage and place 2 vehicles at the end of the property, thereby already raising the terrain.

Regarding approval capability, I cannot say anything.

Regarding the floor plan itself: three and a half things immediately jump out at me.

First, the lighting design.
- Bathroom on the ground floor without a window

We already had that on the list and will definitely redesign it :)

- the roof overhangs make the ground floor darker than expected.

This has been mentioned several times and is certainly an important point. The architect definitely has to consider this carefully.

- on the upper floor, some windows are also unfavorable in my opinion. (For example, often windows are only on one exterior wall, even if a room has multiple exterior walls. In terms of light, thermal protection, view, room effect, and much more, windows on multiple exterior walls are often better than just on one wall.)

Thanks ;), you might be right. I will include that.

Second: Bathrooms on the upper floor
- First of all, praise: finally a design with a sensible arrangement of the master bedroom, dressing room, and master bathroom.
- but: bathtubs?! (The overall project here will be extremely expensive, and then not even a bathtub in the house? Okay. Unusual choice.)
- master bathroom: You open the door and the path as well as the view lead directly to the wall. I know nicer designs.

In fact, we will swap bathroom III (master) with child V. Because child V does not actually exist (yet ;) ) and whether there will be one is still questionable. It would first be a second office and possibly then child bedroom V; we agree that a small child can manage with a small room at first when moving out of the master bedroom. By the time it needs a bigger one, my oldest will already be 18 and may no longer need a room. We will see then.

- the "pass-through bathroom" could later become problematic in terms of privacy for the children. I wouldn’t design it that way.

Yes, that’s one thing. This point has already come up here several times. I believe that with 4 school-aged children in the morning (ALL GIRLS o_O) a single children’s bathroom would be very impractical. Hence the second bathroom. My two older ones currently have this arrangement as well and don’t complain. If anyone has a better idea for the layout, please share it. I have already racked my brain about it in vain :(

Third: The planning is fighting extremely hard against the plot.
- Whether the planning is permissible as is (reference point height) I don’t know. I can’t judge. The chosen solution will be very complicated and very expensive.

The architect is experienced and gives a very professional impression, so I am convinced that he has considered all of this.

And one more half point: door position in the child V room.

Room will be swapped with bathroom III (master) and will probably be en suite or accessed through the dressing room.

I would leave out the child bathroom I. It makes the rooms unusable and uncomfortable due to too many doors. It reminds me of economy class in the hospital. How many bathrooms do you actually want to clean (or have cleaned)?

Make a proper bathroom for the kids. Bath II – 6-7 sqm is more than enough, but not like this. The long corridor reminds me of typical old building guest WCs, where after the door there's still a 20m hallway before you reach the toilet – it doesn't do your design justice... GD

Thanks for your suggestion. Do you have an idea for the layout? A second child

Have you considered a flat roof and less roof overhang? I think that would be much more coherent...

Will be included and is definitely worth considering ;)

You, if you have the nearly 2 million, then that’s ok. Children need space in the common rooms. Whether they actually need such big rooms, you just have to be able to pay for it. From about 16sqm on, children’s rooms can become uncomfortable. Furniture gets lost. But of course, you can also put a sofa in a 4-year-old child’s room, that fills it up ;)

Where is that pictured? I don’t see it in the house design.

(By the way, the resolution of the images is poor. You can’t read the numbers)

Yes, that’s what I complain about first: too few cupboards/counter space, but also too dark. This little window doesn’t do it.

We worked on this point again last night and want to possibly create more windows at the island, but leave a wall for a picture or sideboard at the dining area

I’ll take this as an opportunity to say that the ground floor will be darker than expected. At least the open space. Because the large window area on the south is completely covered by the upper floor. At least it appears so. As I said: I can’t compare lengths here. But the supports on the terrace indicate that the upper floor lies on it. From inside you’re basically looking at the underside of the upper floor. From the east and west, however, there is daylight.

Very important point that makes us think. A ceiling height of 325cm is planned. We (absolute laymen) assumed that this would be enough to bring in plenty of light, but we understand the problem with the roof. Will be clarified and changed if necessary

A partition wall would be good for the dining area. But also for the living area. You want to have dishes or family games ready to hand somewhere with 5 children.

Thanks, sensible and on the list ;)

Yes? I can read the 12sqm. 12sqm can be sufficient with good furnishing. Here the washbasin is opposite the window. You’re standing in your own light. That produces a corridor. Simply turning the washbasin could mean more light and space here. However, I personally find the south side for bathroom windows counterproductive if you want to use the bathroom during the day.

Swap child V with bath III fixed planned. Since we want to spend more time as a couple than as six in the house, we want to have a sufficiently large master bath. I wrote about child V in another quote (child V doesn’t exist and whether there will be one is up in the air)

However, I find the children’s bathroom too small. Where do 3 children have room at the same time? Where does the helping hand have room? I also find a shared bathroom with two doors unsuitable for children: there is zero privacy. A bathtub would also be good in a house with almost 400 sqm. The likelihood that you need it grows with the number of people. What if the children get sick? Which bathroom can be used together then?

We could imagine a bathtub in the master bath. Thinking about it. Regarding the shared bathroom of children I and II, I can only say that my kids currently have it like that too and (for now) do not complain. A second children’s bathroom is, in my view, indispensable. I have so far failed with another arrangement :(

By the way: the toilet on the ground floor can also be given a window.

Will be done

As already said: I would not distribute the bathrooms in a way that causes disadvantages in the living area.

Laundry chute in the utility room instead of the laundry room.. I would rearrange the rooms downstairs in the basement differently. Guest and WC can also go to the east. The bathrooms on the upper floor would also be well placed there. The sports room is too small.

The sports room will be bigger, as the pool technology will be moved to the pool (sunken)

Upper floor: bedroom with the panoramic window is no joy. I also find this balcony thing suspicious. Even if you can afford a gardener, you don’t want to sit up there. Not even if you have the money for a balcony or are wealthy. The upper floor has potential to be redone.

Do you have an idea how you would plan it?

In the exterior views you can already see that not much southern sun shines into the ground floor. I’m also not a fan of large roof overhangs. Whoever likes it and wants it..

Will be adjusted if possible

Well, the first draft is just to warm up anyway – you shouldn’t fall in love with one corner or the other. Another approach might lead better to Rome. Will the plot be filled? Have you ever considered using the slope better for the basement so you can do without these light wells?

That’s the plan. We wanted to do without a 2nd level in the garden