Hello Steffi,
20 cm exterior walls made of block beam
We are especially puzzled here. Because both house providers offer the 20 cm laminated block beam and advertise, among other things, the excellent insulation properties:...
Personally, I would worry the least about that, since nowadays you are only allowed to build according to the Energy Saving Ordinance anyway, and the architect will give you the correct dimensions for your plan anyway.
First the family situation:
Two of us will live in the house. However, we regularly expect visits from our adult children and grandchildren. We also like to have day visitors from friends, relatives, and acquaintances. A small office is desired since both of us may be able to work from home.
If overnight guests are regularly part of the monthly routine, a guest room is justified. The question is what dimensions this guest room needs to have – usually, you can combine this room with your office stuff.
How old is the grandchild when the house is finished? Will they still be spending the night or much time with you then?
Will a three-person room be enough or might that lead to a planning mistake?
Why don’t you use the wasted attic by planning a guest room in the front and then the storage loft at the back → a few sqm less on the ground floor but a positive use of the attic. A narrow staircase suffices here, narrower than 80 cm.
Home office? For the employer? In the living room? Or a small office corner for private stuff: then a closet room is enough.
The bedroom:
We find this corner solution very successful. ... ... 10-20 cm more would admittedly be perfect..
Exactly too imperfect, this corner! You can also see it when you watch the video. The video sequence is almost a slap in the face – if you see it positively, it probably has to be classified under “being in love with one’s work.” Or also blindness from familiarity: of course one likes to justify their mistakes if there is no other way.
You enter the room, look at a wall (niche on the left) with disordered, messy utensils and stuff on the walls, have to hold slightly to the right, but then bump into the corner of the room and the closet.
The same size applies here as in the bedroom. The double bed is for the guests, the single bed (possibly a bunk bed) for the grandchild. Since the grandchild will often stay overnight or after school without the parents, there is also a desk. However, everything will probably take place in the living/kitchen area (homework, playing etc.) :)
Then the corner, which actually only came about anyway, is superfluous. The child can also sleep in the double bed and does not need a separate bed.
The kitchen:
The length of the work surface is 519 cm. Subtracting stove and sink leaves about 360 cm of workspace. That’s definitely enough; now we have much less. In an emergency, you can use the breakfast table.
But the grandchild is doing homework at the breakfast table.
No, seriously... a 5-meter long row is not exactly functional, work-wise an L-shape or two facing rows make more sense. Then the lost refrigerator on the other side: you’re not really the cooking type, right? Doesn’t matter, but a kitchen can be designed more functionally (and lovingly).
The living room
We have deliberately included a small computer area. We always have to work for a few hours in the evening or fiddle around on the computer from time to time. We don’t want to be excluded from the rest of family life in a separate room. Even though you’re working, you’re still right in the middle of family life and can watch a bit of TV in between or follow a conversation. We already have it like this in our current house and want to have it again.
Well, on the one hand a home office, on the other hand a PC workplace to fiddle around during family life: wouldn’t a laptop be enough? I do it as already said.
Utility room/guest WC
Here, too, we have deliberately decided on this combo. Originally we would have preferred to integrate the house system even in the large bathroom. But we did not find an aesthetically pleasing solution. The reason is that such a heating system always releases heat into the surroundings. In our current house, this is the warmest room. ...
The pipes for the rooms gather at the heating and then warm up the surroundings.
A new intact heating system, possibly underfloor heating with closely laid pipes in the bathrooms, should heat all rooms well.
One should not orient oneself on old techniques and move an eyesore into the slow-down room. Alone because of the acoustics.
But I hardly marvel at anything anymore: is it panic from running again through rain to the front door, many plan not to use their expensive front door at all but a sluice passage from the garage to the house? Others fear the aesthetics and favor windowless bathrooms.
It’s a matter of taste whether plaster, clinker brick or wood. Or solid wood. You have to like it. It wouldn’t be my thing.
On 17.5 meters in width you have 11.5... so an L-shape building could also fit.
For me, the corridor would already be way too long until you get to the center of the house (dining room), then the kitchen is in the last corner of the house. Shopping won’t get easier.
And why cross a corridor to get from the bedroom to the toilet?
Then I wonder, since you already have grandchildren: don’t you think about accessibility?
You don’t have to mount grab bars in the shower yet, but you should think about centralizing rooms. All I see is a row of rooms one after the other.
I urge you: think about how your life will look in 10 years and build for YOURSELVES, not for family members!
Best regards, Yvonne